IT'S PUMKIN TIME!

Emily is enjoying the slimy insides of her pumpkin

"Laura" is doing her pumkin

These babies are getting ready for roasting- mmmmm!

Ahhhh, the finished product

Laura's is a cat- cute!

Claire's is scary- oooohhhh!

Emily's is her own creation

Complete with eyelashes (on one eye)

and blushed cheeks- creative!

LAURA IS FOUR!!!!!


Can you believe it? My sweet little Laura Mae, turned 4. Wow! It sure has happened fast! But, I enjoy (almost) every minute of my time with her! She is a spunky and cheery little girl. I just love her to pieces! I am so thankful to the Lord for her in our lives! Here are a few pics to share the moments...



She wanted a cheetah cake, Why? Don't really know- but here it is!




Here's her place for her new stickers- always thinking outside the box!

Ready to open some gifts!

So, happy birthday, my dear sweet Laura!

Fall in Indiana

I love Fall! It is so refreshing to feel that early morning chill and then have the breeze throughout the rest of the day. (Actually, I love all seasons and welcome the change with each one's coming.) I love it that I can leave the windows open all day long. I love wearing sweatshirts. I love being able to heat up the kitchen and not have to sweat to death. I love being able to make chili, stew, and soup. I love the crispness of the air, the sounds of the crickets, the sound of the wind, the fall Mums, the pumkins, the smells (yes, there is a Fall smell), and everything else that goes with it. Lovely, just lovely.

Hello old friend

Tonight as I was purusing my favorite blogs, I looked up our old pastor's from AR web site of his new church in MT. It's always nice to stay in touch with old friends. His wife, Kim, has a blog which she posts quite often. I love reading her blog. She has a great way of communicating and putting her wit into writing. Well, tonight, I went to Jim's new church's site and was listening to his sermons. Now, this may sound wierd, to go online and listen to sermons while perusing the web, but he is a great teacher of the Word of God. And, listening to him is like talking to my old friend. So, hello Jim, so glad to be in touch again!

So, I'm sitting here trying to write something for all of my devoted readers, but there's just nothing exciting to say. My life right now is pretty much the same everyday- taking care of the 5 kiddos and the hubby. There's some funny moments along the way, but by the time comes that I can actually sit down and write about it, I've already forgotten what the funny was. I'm afraid I'm pretty boring these days. But, this is where I am. Don't really like being boring. But, I'm trying to do a good job of being a mother and a wife. Both of which I feel like I accomplish with mediocrity. I'm not complaining, but I'm just so stretched out in my resources (mental, physical, emotional, relational). I just don't think I can accomplish everything with excellence. Let's face it, I not a super mom. Man, I do know of several, and I just don't know how they do it. I wish I did a better job. I have this perpetual calendar that I read everyday with quotes from mostly Christian woman and there are a few quotes from some other popular women, celebrities. This calendar really encourages me, most of the time. Well the quote I read today was this:



"Women of adventure have conquered their fates and know how to live exciting fulfulling lives right where they are. they have learned to reinvent themselves and find creative ways to enjoy the world and their place in it. They know how to take mini-vacations, stop and smell the roses, and live fully in the moment." by Barbara Jenkins



I just love this quote and wish I were like that. It is depressing to me that I am not. I always thought of my self as adventurous. The most adventure I've had lately is, well, I just don't have adventure anymore and it just makes me sad because that's a part of me that seems to be gone and I miss that part of me. I didn't mean to make this a rambling, depressing post. But, that is what is on my mind right now. Please keep reading in the future, I know my posts won't all be as depressing as this one. Thanks for reading.

I can't believe it!!

I can't believe it, the babies are 1!!! September 4, we celebrated their birthday-wow! It has been a whirlwind of a year. I hope I remember some of it! I was talking to my sister in law and we were discussing how we just don't remember all of those early times. Thank the Lord for pictures and movie cameras!

I can't imagine my life without these two bundles of joy. They are so great to have, I am so thankful to the Lord that He entrusted them to us, scary, but such a privilege.

Nathan is more laid back; Katelynn is more demanding

Nathan is walking now; Katelynn still scoots around, pulls up

Nathan loves his bottle; Katelynn insists on eating first, then drinking

Nathan is more fair-skinned; Katelynn has more of a brown skin tone

Nathan is all boy- climbing on anything, hitting toys (and anything) together, exploring

Katelynn is all girl- has the cutest little grin, "talks" all of the time, and cries easily

They are beautiful children and we love them dearly. Enjoy the pics...

Funny girls

Ok, so I know I need to post more pics of the kiddos, so here you go. Hardly a day goes by that I don't laugh! They are great! What a joy in my life!


Emily said that she did this because the baby food stinks...where's my swim mask?!!




Sisters goofing around



"Mom, can I use the digital camera.......?"




She does this face when I am trying to be serious with her...



Claire kinda looks oriental in this shot...